


RGB

by dontrollthedice



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crushes, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Solidarity, discussion of eyes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontrollthedice/pseuds/dontrollthedice
Summary: “Looks like you’ve got something to tell False,” Impulse teased.Etho shook his head, taking off the cardboard head and combing his hair back into its usual place with his fingers. “Nah, not really,” he said. Upon seeing Impulse raise his eyebrows, he elaborated. “I mean, of course her eyes are pretty. You’d have to be an idiot to not see that. I just prefer deeper blue—”He cut himself off, but they both knew he had said too much.--Or, Etho, Impulse, and Bdubs come to an understanding.
Relationships: EthosLab/Daniel M. | VintageBeef, GoodTimesWithScar/BDoubleO100, impulseSV/Tango Tek (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 70





	RGB

**Author's Note:**

> i relapsed, take my comfort ships and a coincidence i thought was funny

Preparing all these cardboard models of their friends’ heads was possibly the best thing Xisuma had ever let them do.

That feeling was cemented when Impulse turned to find his project partner with a different face. He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him before he said, “Nice new face, Etho.”

Etho brought his fingers over the cheeks of False’s cardboard head with a chuckle. “Look at my beautiful blue eyes! So bright, so amazing.”

Luckily for him, the art room was too busy bustling with activity to pay any attention to them at their own table. What was supposed to be a quick step into the storage room for more paper (projects and messy printing situations were an iconic duo, after all) had turned into them messing around with cardboard heads. They had blended into the background at this point in the midst of the regulars: Bdubs coloring in a drawing, Grian washing the paint out of his paintbrushes, Scar studying a potted flower. Cleo was seated at a pottery wheel, the dull whir in the background evidence of her work. Beside her, Joe and Jevin talked quietly amongst themselves in a sea of noise. Hell, even Tango and Zedaph had joined the fun and were scouring through art books to make fun of god knew what.

Oh, they waved at him. Impulse waved back, his heart jumping upon seeing red eyes crinkled from a grin.

But back to matters at hand.

Suddenly gaining self-confidence and declaring themselves pretty wasn’t uncommon when somebody equipped a head of their friend. Hell, Impulse had done it himself with several of his friends (most notably Bdubs. But to be fair, the man handed out his cardboard head like candy). But to focus on a specific aspect this much? That was less common. In fact, it was often indicative of more… personal feelings.

“Looks like you’ve got something to tell False,” Impulse teased.

Etho shook his head, taking off the cardboard head and combing his hair back into its usual place with his fingers. “Nah, not really,” he said. Upon seeing Impulse raise his eyebrows, he elaborated. “I mean, of course her eyes are pretty. You’d have to be an idiot to not see that. I just prefer deeper blue—”

He cut himself off, but they both knew he had said too much.

Impulse bit back a laugh.

Now, who among their friend group had deep blue eyes?

There were several people other than False who had blue eyes in their friend group. Only one was in the room with them, and Etho wouldn’t have shut up like that if they weren’t.

His eyes landed on one VintageBeef in the corner of the room, humming happily as he painted on a canvas.

Ocean blue eyes. How curious.

“No way,” Impulse said. He grinned. “No way!”

Etho gave him a miserable stare. Maybe he should take a more serious approach to this.

“So, you like his eyes?” Impulse asked, his body turned to face Etho completely.

Etho, apparently sensing that dropping the subject would lead to more questions than necessary, sighed and dropped his gaze to the table with a nod. If Impulse were being honest, he'd say he felt bad for him.

"Yeah, I wouldn’t be too happy about it either if I were you." Impulse put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone, though. You know, in the eye department."

Etho blinked and turned to face him, and Impulse got the feeling this wasn't such a good idea.

Impulse pointed up at his right eye, clearing his throat.

Etho's fingers drifted over his eye, then his eyes scrunched in that way they did when he was about to make fun of someone. "Wait, so red eyes?"

He was right. This was more embarrassing than it had any right to be.

Impulse made an uncertain noise and kicked under the table.

"Hmm… I wonder," Etho chuckled, "I wonder who the only person in this room is who has completely red eyes."

And there really was only one person: the best friend he had fallen in love with like an idiot.

"I gave you too much power," Impulse groaned.

"You did. But, you know, I’m not judging you. Definitely not the worst choice." Etho's gaze settled on Tango and Zedaph, who were now fighting over an art book with Xisuma trying to calm the situation. "You sure about that one, though?"

Tango accidentally smacked himself with the book after pulling on it too hard. Impulse had never been more sure of anything in this life.

Impulse shrugged, but before he could get his words out, a third player entered the conversation.

"Impulse and Etho sitting together? That can’t be good! What are you two scheming about now?"

"Hello to you, too, Bdubs," Impulse said.

"A bit rude to assume we're scheming," Etho sniffed. "Do we always have to be scheming?"

(Though to be fair, they almost always were. And after a civil war over a potted mushroom Grian had put in the middle of Scar's artificial foliage as a joke, Impulse was certain he and half the hermits couldn't be seen together without everyone else immediately assuming they were up to something. But that was neither here nor there.)

Bdubs set a hand on their shoulders, his eyes sparkling with… mischief? That was a surprise. "What're we plotting, boys? A prank? Another revolution?"

But if there was one person who knew better than to try out-mischiefing Etho, it surely wasn't Bdubs. Impulse knew he had stepped onto a landmine as soon as Etho's eyes crinkled into that classic smug smile of his when he knew information he wasn't supposed to know.

"Maybe another revolution against Scar," Etho said with a hum. He nudged Impulse with an elbow. "That was quite fun, wasn't it?"

Bdubs's jaw tensed. Impulse knew where this was going.

Impulse fought back a waterfall of giggles threatening to spill out. "Yeah, screw the club mayor, right? Always, uh… making plants and stuff."

"It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, really. You know, with his green eyes and stuff. I wonder if anything would be different if he had any other color eye."

Their arguments were nonsense, and they both knew it. But their goal wasn't to attack Scar; Scar was kind, sweet, the definition of a good friend. No, it was to—

"Wh—What are you two on about?" Bdubs said, his voice almost a yell. His hands were off their shoulders, now being positioned in the universal _“What the fuck”_ position. Impulse would have shushed him had the rest of the room not been louder. "Scar has the best colored eyes! How could you not like green? They're bright, shiny, like jewels. You like jewels, don't you? Honestly, I can't believe you—Stop laughing, Impulse!"

That was it. Bdubs had fallen for their trick hook, line, and sinker, and Impulse was gone before Bdubs had even finished his rant.

Luckily, Etho was slightly better at suppressing his laughter and calmed down enough to explain. "So you're telling us you like green eyes? And you like Scar? But mostly Scar’s green eyes?"

Bdubs's face flushed at that, and realization sparked across his face. "Oh, you scheming—So what if I do? What's wrong with that? Impulse over here clearly has a thing for red eyes."

"What?" Impulse sputtered, his laughter finally dying.

"There wasn’t a single moment during that Boomers project last year when you weren’t distracted by Tango’s eyes, you know. And don’t think I haven’t caught you staring at Etho when he’s not looking."

Etho sent Impulse a confused glance. Impulse shrugged. Just because he liked Tango’s eyes more didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate others’.

But Impulse wasn't going to be the only one thrown under the bus. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bdubs beat him to it yet again.

"And we don't even need to talk about Etho. Everyone knows about that one."

Etho paused, and the expression on his face looked just a tad pained. If Impulse weren’t right next to him, he would’ve missed it. _"Everyone?"_

Bdubs faltered at that. "I mean… Doc and Scar do? I think Keralis mentioned it one time, and so did Tango. And Grian. And Ren. And—"

"Yeah, pretty much everyone," Impulse sighed, patting Etho on the shoulder. "Sorry, bud. To be fair, though, you don't really try to hide it."

Etho shrugged his hand off. "I guess that's true." His eyes flickered between Bdubs and Impulse. "So we all have this in common? I'll admit I knew we all had at least _something_ in common, but I didn't expect it to be thinking certain eye colors look pretty."

Impulse chuckled at that.

That was true, wasn't it? It wasn't the same eye color either. Red, blue, and green made one hell of a combination. But it seemed familiar. Where had he heard—

"RGB!" Impulse said with a snap. He ducked his head when Etho and Bdubs shot him confused looks. "You know, like the primary colors on a screen. Just—Just thought that was neat."

Etho nodded to that, seemingly slightly impressed. 

"Oh, good observation!" Bdubs said with a grin. "I expect nothing less from the master of observations himself."

Was… Was Bdubs making fun of him or being genuine? Impulse couldn't tell sometimes. But he supposed now that they had fallen silent and were all looking in (predictably) different directions, it didn't matter.

Impulse glanced over at Tango, who had abandoned the art book in favor of holding an arm wrestling match with Ren, Zedaph serving as the judge. When he pushed Ren's hand just enough for his knuckles to brush against the tabletop, Tango leapt up from his chair and cheered with his usual victory enthusiasm. Zedaph sheepishly announced Tango as the winner while Ren laughed and promised a better rematch later.

Tango's eyes were so bright during that whole exchange. God, Impulse could lose himself in them.

Then Tango glanced over at him with those ruby red eyes, shot him a smile, and turned back to his tasks.

Impulse froze.

That wasn't good for his heart. That wasn't good for his heart at all.

When he looked over at the other two, they weren't faring much better either.

"Well," Etho said, clearing his throat and standing up from his seat. His words were faster, rushed. "This was fun, but we should go back and finish that project up. We left our stuff there for quite a while, you know."

Impulse rocketed up from his seat. Finally, an excuse. "Good thinking, project partner!"

"How about I help you guys with it? Always good to have an extra hand," Bdubs said, covering his embarrassment with a laugh.

After coming to agreement, the three cleaned up their materials and rushed out of the art room as fast as their feet could take them.

Impulse sighed and held a hand up to his heart. Tango and his stupidly vivid red eyes would be the death of him.

He glanced at the other two, Etho having pulled his mask around as much of his face as he could and Bdubs keeping his eyes glued to the white tiles of the floor.

At least if Impulse was going down, he wasn't going down alone.


End file.
